Mark Goldbridge: Erik ten Hag is under pressure but who would be fool enough to want the Manchester United job? Assessing potential manager replacements at Old Trafford

In an exclusive column for talkSPORT.com, Mark Goldbridge assesses Erik ten Hag's future and who could replace him in the Old Trafford dugout...

There’s no doubt Erik ten Hag is under pressure and I think some Manchester United fans would make that change — my question is always, who comes in?

It’s a bit like throwing your toys out the pram when you’re angry, but where are your other toys?

I think with regards to options out there, if you’re hypothetically going to sack a manager then you hypothetically should have an alternative, and I don't see enough good ones out there at the moment.

Unai Emery, I think he would be a fool to take the Manchester United job.

At Aston Villa he’s got a structure around him and he’s got players who play for him — that’s two things straight away you haven’t got at Manchester United, which makes your job hard.

You only have to look at Jose Mourinho, one of the greatest managers there has ever been, and he couldn’t get control of that football club.

The only reason Emery would take that job is if he’s absolutely obsessed with a big club like Manchester United and trying to rebuild it. He would be a great choice, but for me it’s a pie in the sky choice at the moment.

Another option would be Zinedine Zidane — a three-times Champions League winner with Real Madrid, but he hasn’t had a job since then.

This tends to be the hipster Manchester United fan choice — get rid of Ten Hag and bring Zidane in — the only problem is he doesn't speak English, he’s got no intention of learning it and he’s got no intention of managing in England.

But even if he did, I don't think he’d have any intention of managing Manchester United, for the simple reason — look at his history. 

He had a Real Madrid side that was elite